I love fresh asparagus from the garden! I grew up with a father who prided himself in his asparagus cultivation. As a child I always knew we had made it through winter when the little asparagus heads poked up through the soil. Now as an adult nothing makes me happier than the first sightings of fresh local asparagus in the market. Although my father felt asparagus should be served on toast I’m sure he would have loved this recipe. It is so refreshingly simple and probably would be good on toast or crostini too!
2 cloves garlic
1/4c flat leaf parsley
Zest from one lemon
15-20 asparagus spears, trimmed
Sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4c parmesan cheese
Finely chop the garlic and the parsley. Zest the lemon.
Combine garlic, parsley and lemon zest, to make Gremolata. Set aside.
Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
Clean and trim asparagus spears. Bring a large pot of water to boil, season with sea salt and then blanche the asparagus 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat drain well.
Arrange asparagus spears on a platter and sprinkle with gremolata, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice mixture.
Sprinkle with parmesan and freshly ground white pepper. Serve immediately.
Onion & Pecorino Crostini
